Miraculously recovered...now what?

[Taz Monkey]

I joined last night so I could search through some threads. Frank Sinatra, my betta, lives in a 2 gallon bowl in my kitchen. I ordered him a 4 gallon aquarium but last Friday was hit by a $1000 ACL surgery for one of my dogs, so so I cancelled it til next payday. But he's lived in this bowl since November, I change the water weekly, and he has seemed happy and healthy. LAst night, I saw he was laying on his side at the top of the bowl. I tapped the bowl and he swam, but immediately floated back up to the top, on his side. I took him out of the bowl and put him in the little container he came in, with new fish water (I keep 2 gallons ready with fish water at all time). He'd just lay there, on his side at the top, then thrash around, then be still. Honestly, I thought he'd be dead by this morning. But this morning he was upright and swimming around like normal. He ate, and just looks normal, except skinny, and I don't recall him being skinny prior to yesterday. So what now? What could it have been and can I clean his bowl and put him back in it? Any thing I should be doing?
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[Sivan]

Does he have a heater? Cold water can spread sickness and make them lethargic. Perhaps the water got below 72 degrees.

[Taz Monkey]

yes, he has a heater and I keep his bowl at about 82 degrees.

[Taz Monkey]

he seemed bloated between his gills and couldn't stay off of his side, this definitely wasn't lethargy.

[Sivan]

Okay. What water conditioner do you use? Some may not get rid of every water toxin, which can effect gills. My boy ended up with ammonia burns under his gills because of the few days he spent in local water without proper conditioner, resulting in him have one side work harder than the other.

Also, did you acclimate him before putting him in the new water? If you didn't he could have been in shock.

[Taz Monkey]

Acclimate him before putting him in what new water? It was when I put him in the new water that he recovered. I use whatever the yellow bottle is for bettas for water conditioner. I have used the same conditioner since I got him in November.

[Laki]

Did you float him before putting him in the clean water? The difference in temp (from the tank at 82F to new room temp water) might have shocked him into looking better. He might have some sort of swim bladdar issue.

[Taz Monkey]

no I did not float him. But he's been in the new water since about 10 pm last night and he's still doing fine.

[Laki]

From now on, you'll want to acclimatize him to the new water. That kind of shock to his body weekly will eventually turn him out for the worse :( I'm glad he's okay now though!

[Taz Monkey]

Oh no no no, I don't change the water all at once. I do about 25% at a time. But I set the jug of water under the stove light for most of the day before I change it, and I figured out that a gallon jug of water under the stove light gets it to about 78 degrees. So it's not a huge variation anyway. But is there anything else I should do for Frank now, or just watch him?